Reset search
Vietnam!!!!!
  • Shalee Gherbaz

Vietnam!!!!!

Michael and I are off to Vietnam for 3, weeks!!!! Ho Chi Minh City - Hoi An - Da Nang - Hanoi - Ho Chi Minh City Read more
FollowInsightsCalendarShareShareBucket list
Newest first
  • Shalee GherbazVietnam!!!!!Traveler

    Water Puppet Show

    March 6, 2024 in Vietnam ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C

    We headed over to the 8pm showing of the Traditional Water Puppet Theatre Show. I was hoping to go earlier in the day but the tickets for day shows were all sold out. Alas, all turns out as it is supposed to as we probably wouldn't have thought to go to the awesome Japanese Shopping Centre and arcade!

    Michael is a big fan of puppets, so I thought this would be up his alley and I was right. He really enjoyed it and had deep respect for the craftsmanship and mechanics behind the puppets. We had translators on that told us the origin of each story. The show consists of 15 mini story's related to traditional Vietnamese Folklore. It was fun, creative and enjoyable.

    We did not get many videos or photos as our phones couldn't do the show justice compared to our eyeballs!!!

    Grabbed a Bahn Mi on the way home as I was peckish. Best Bahn Mi yet. So freaking good. Off to bed for an early night as we have a very early start tomorrow!!!!    Read more

  • Shalee GherbazVietnam!!!!!Traveler
    2

    Cat Ba Island

    March 7, 2024 in Vietnam ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C

    We were up at 4.45am this morning to get picked up at 5am for our big day exploring Lan Ha Bay (the sister bay to Ha Long Bay, which is one of the seven wonders of the world) on day 1 of our 3 day private tour exploring regional areas outside of Hanoi.

    David is our guide for the 3 days, and he is the person I organised the tour with, so it's nice to finally meet after all these months of chit chat!

    Our car is very nice and has full reclining seats! We have 2.5 hours of travel to get to the bay, including ferries and going through Cat Ba island. We were able to get out of the car on the ferry and see some views, and then once on Cat Ba island we made a quick pitstop into a hidden inlet. It was gorgeous!!! It's misty in the mornings in March in this area, which gives the whole place an aura of mystique. Also, very few tourists ever come to this spot, so it felt special to visit.    Read more

  • Shalee GherbazVietnam!!!!!Traveler

    Lan Ha Bay, Out at Sea!

    March 7, 2024 in Vietnam ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C

    We arrived at the Cat Ba Port and hopped on our little private boat. There is something mythical about this place. Especially given that the grey mist will be lingering all day, and is enshrouding the limestone mountains. You can see where the mountains have eroded, which creates unique shapes and designs. Michael is especially happy that the sun will not be burning him to bits, and he can enjoy the outdoor activities without having his energy drained.

    I'll do separate posts for our kayaking and cycling, as there are so many photos and fun things to talk about! We started the day with time on the boat, then went kayaking through the mountains, then went island hopping and cycling into a tiny rural village on one of the islands, then had lunch, then went out for a swim amongst the mountains, and then a scenic boat ride for 90 mins back to the port. It's been a very active, yet relaxing day!!!

    Lunch was delish. Our boat driver bought it from the floating market whilst we were cycling. We had fresh fish, squid, shrimps, tofu, sweet potato chips, salad, and spring rolls. All the seafood was yummy. Michael enjoyed the tofu, and I enjoyed the sweet potato! The spring rolls were stars. 2nd best of the trip!!!!

    I'm really glad that we've chosen a private tour. Our guide David knows where to take us that gets us away from the crowds, whilst still showing us all the major things we should see!    Read more

  • Shalee GherbazVietnam!!!!!Traveler

    Kayaking Amongst the Limestone 😍

    March 7, 2024 in Vietnam ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C

    We got to go kayaking amongst the limestone mountains of Lan Ha Bay. It was serene. For most of the time, we were the ONLY ones there. This is unheard of if you were to go to Ha long Bay, which is the super popular tourist site, and only a few hours up from Lan Ha Bay.

    Because the tides were lowish, we got to go into a hidden inlet through a small cave. This was so pretty. All around us are oyster farms and traps, which David explained how they all operate. Occasionally we would see some local Vietnamese fishermen or oyster farmers working the seas for food. Given my phone was in a waterproof bag, my photos came out awesome!

    PS. Don't be fooled by Michael's face in the last photo. He was deeply happy and relaxed. His words "I can't help it if my serenity face looks grumpy as hell" 🤣🤣🤣🤣    Read more

  • Shalee GherbazVietnam!!!!!Traveler
    1

    Island Hopping - Cycling in Lan Ha Bay

    March 7, 2024 in Vietnam ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C

    We hired bicycles to explore one of the inhabited islands of Lan Ha Bay. David said there are about 300 people living on the island. The cycle was 5km each way, so a good workout on the legs.

    The scenery on this cycle was STUNNING. I didn't get many photos because I had to concentrate to make sure I didn't fall of the bicycle hahaha, but we did stop at a few points for pics. The town reminded me of rural Hoi An, except surrounded by limestone mountains and with 1/20th of the people.

    We had a quick bathroom pitstop that had one of those fish feeding relaxation baths. I gave it a shot and put a foot in... So ticklish!!! I couldn't stop laughing like a kookaburra LOL.

    A truly delightful part of the day.    Read more

  • Shalee GherbazVietnam!!!!!Traveler

    The worst food of the trip

    March 7, 2024 in Vietnam ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C

    Well... We've finally done it. We've had a shoddy food experience.

    It was bound to happen hahaha.

    We went to get Japanese for dinner at a Japanese place that had good google reviews and was busy. Well....

    It took forever for them to get food out to us. The service was so slow and average. They got Michaels ramen order completely wrong.

    Also, I ordered beef Udon noodles because I didn't want seafood. And what do they put all over my beef and vege udon... Seaweed. SEAWEED. EW.

    Every time I tried to take a bite, all I could smell was day old seaweed. Without the seaweed it probably would have been nice. But no, my nose, and taste buds were tormented.

    No mention of seaweed on the menu. 0 stars. And I was so hungry from today's activities 😭😭😭😭😭 the sides were also not very good. Especially the chicken. So oily and ick. Michael said his ramen was average, but he could tell I was grumpy as.

    Boo. The only good thing about this place is the cute bunny to hold your chopsticks.

    I've demanded dessert to make me happier so off we go to get Bingsu.    Read more

  • Shalee GherbazVietnam!!!!!Traveler

    Bingsu and new friends SAVE the night

    March 7, 2024 in Vietnam ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C

    Weeeeeew! We had yummy scrummy Bingsu at HoduKing! Michael got the Oreo and I had the strawberry. Both were delish. Love shaved ice, it's so light and delicate and I love the way it melts on your mouth.

    But better still, we ended up making new pals! A group came in very chatty and chill, and we just organically congregated together to chat about our travels, lives and all sorts of things. What began as a quick dessert run ended up being a 2 hour hang out full of laughs, crazy stories, and pure joy! Our new pals are... Amber, Faye, Gabby, Jan, and Xian Long. Amber, Faye and Gabby are British, Jan is German, and Xian Long is Singaporean. They are all heading up North tomorrow for the Ha Giang loop, and we are off to Ninh Binh.

    A really great twist to save the day after such shitty dinner hahaha! Love it!    Read more

  • Shalee GherbazVietnam!!!!!Traveler

    Mua Cave and Viewpoint

    March 8, 2024 in Vietnam ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C

    First up on our day trip to Ninh Binh is the Mua Cave and Viewpoint. This place is stunning. Everywhere you look there's something to catch your eye.

    The complex consists of gardens, rice paddies, ponds, the cave, and 2 viewpoints for people to climb up to. We explored all of it, and chugged our way up to the top of the viewpoint, which was over 500 steps. Like Marble Mountains, some of the steps are above my knee. Definitely worked the thighs but it was so worth it for the amazing views!!!!Read more

  • Shalee GherbazVietnam!!!!!Traveler

    Am Tien Pagoda and Lake

    March 8, 2024 in Vietnam ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C

    Next up was to visit Am Tien Pagoda and Lake. It's international women's Day today, so lots of ladies are dressed up taking pictures in traditional clothing today!

    The Pagoda itself is inside a cave, which we found really interesting and made it different to the other ones we have been to. The lake is stunning. A very pretty bike ride I'm sure! There's also a mini temple for cats here! We saw quite a few furry friends, which was very cute!Read more

  • Shalee GherbazVietnam!!!!!Traveler

    Bicycle Ride Around Ninh Binh

    March 8, 2024 in Vietnam ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C

    We went for another bicycle ride, this time it was around the township of Ninh Binh. It was a very simple and easy ride today, with only one uphill section.

    The ride was mystical and serene, with no other tourists around. You have the town to your right, along with their fish farms and paddy fields for rice, and then to the left you have the mountains and river. The humidity fog makes everything eerie. We love it!Read more

  • Shalee GherbazVietnam!!!!!Traveler

    Lunch in Ninh Binh

    March 8, 2024 in Vietnam ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C

    We had a supplied lunch at a restaurant in Ninh Binh to try a few speciality dishes.

    Included on the menu was fried fish, spring rolls, signature sizzling goat, lemongrass chicken, steamed veggies in garlic sauce, rice and speciality rice cakes.

    Everything was tasty. The goat was prepared in a way we've not had before, and we enjoyed it. The star of the show was the chicken, which was juicy, succulent and vibrant in taste.    Read more

  • Shalee GherbazVietnam!!!!!Traveler

    Ninh Binh: on the set of King Kong!

    March 8, 2024 in Vietnam ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C

    We took a boat ride around areas of Ninh Binh in a traditional wooden boat with an elderly Vietnamese lady on the oars doing the steering and pedalling (so to speak). It was. Avery relaxing point ride that went along a river beside the mountains, eventually leading inside a cave (which we got to go inside). The section outside of the cave is where the 2019 King Kong movie was shot, which is super cool.

    I can't totally understand why Ninh Binh is considered the Ha Long bay but on land! It's very similar.    Read more

  • Shalee GherbazVietnam!!!!!Traveler

    Embroidery in Ninh Binh

    March 8, 2024 in Vietnam ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C

    Our last stop for the day is at a local house to learn embroidery.

    Our host didn't speak any English, so our guide translated for us until we got into the embroidery. Then we just kind of winged it and got a general gist of what she was helping us out with.

    Michael was a natural, and got a 10/10 from the instructor. Chef's kiss! Mine turned out ok as well!!    Read more

  • Shalee GherbazVietnam!!!!!Traveler
    1

    Suprise.... Its a MONSTER naan!

    March 8, 2024 in Vietnam ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C

    Tonight's shenanigans were again a case of utter disappointment that eventually leads to an amazing discovery.

    Michael and I wanted to try out these famous donuts in Hanoi. It was a fair way out of our normal area on the other side of Hanoi Old Quarter. We couldn't find the shop ANYWHERE. It was located on Google maps as being in the middle of a 5 way road intersection, but ended up being 150m down one of the 5 forks! We searched for like 15-20 minutes, and when we finally found it, it was closed because of international women's Day 😭😭😭😭

    At this point, I was disappointed, and I was HUNGRY. But then it got worse. I became HANGRY at the same time as I had a case of choice paralysis. I didn't know what I wanted, so we walked around for ages and I couldn't decide on anything.

    Finally after another 20 minutes of wandering around old quarter, we came across an Indian place that was full of Indian people. I was so hungry and non communicative at this point, but as soon as the idea of naan came into my head, I knew the search was over.

    We ordered a butter chicken, mutton korma, and honey chilli potatoes to share, and I got garlic naan and Michael got garlic cheese naan.

    Well.... When it came out, I was in disbelief. My naan was served on a boat, and it was HUGE. Like, not even in India did they serve the naan this big. Luckily it was not only huge in size, it was big in taste too! Everything was scrumptious. Melt in your mouth good. Such a relief. They even let us doggy bag it to take back to the hotel to eat what we couldn't finish (I barely got through half the naan) tomorrow!

    Now we are relaxing in the hotel and I've got the jacuzzi running to relax before bed!!!! It works a treat, I'll sleep like a baby tonight zzzzz.    Read more

  • Shalee GherbazVietnam!!!!!Traveler

    Nam Hong: Wet Market

    March 9, 2024 in Vietnam ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C

    Our first stop on today's cultural regional tour. We are in Nam Hong for the day, which is a rural Hanoi village with zero tourists. We are spending the day with a host family, going out on bikes, farming, learning to cook, and other various activities of rural life.

    We are treated very kindly here as the only white people. It's also interesting to see all the different fruits and meats for sale. We learnt how tofu is made here as well!

    We've seen so many varieties of meat for sale, live animals ready for slaughter, and even cooked dogs. Which obviously in our culture is intense as dogs are pets in Australia. But we also eat cows in Australia, and cows are viewed the same way as dogs in other cultures, so it's all relative. If you can't stomach the process of our food being prepared, should you really be eating it??? The cycle of life and reality of being omnivores.    Read more

  • Shalee GherbazVietnam!!!!!Traveler

    Farming in rural Hanoi!

    March 9, 2024 in Vietnam ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C

    I got to do some farming of kohlrabi at the family's farm. They own over 100 acres in which they grow a wide range of rice and vegetables.

    The steps were pretty simple- prepare the soil, create the holes, plant the seedlings, and water with a bucket!

    They said that I had a natural gift for gardening as I did it very well. I'd hope after 7 years of the stuff that I'd know a thing or two hahaha. I really enjoyed this though as it was fun to get out in a farm for a change.

    Poor Michael did not enjoy it at all, as he had to wear size 45 gumboots when he's a size 48 in shoes! They don't have big sizes in Vietnam. Very sad boy indeed, so he did not garden and I got him back to the house as quickly as possible to get the things off once I knew he was in pain!    Read more

  • Shalee GherbazVietnam!!!!!Traveler
    1

    A taste of simple rural life.

    March 9, 2024 in Vietnam ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C

    After exploring the farming area and doing some farming myself (seperate step and pics to come later) on the bicycles, we got back to the family house to do some cooking. We learnt about how to make traditional spring rolls, and did the filling of the rice paper ourselves. Then we helped fry them and do a basic chicken and mushroom dish. The family explained the different condiments and ways to each the spring rolls, so when lunch rolled around we had so much to eat! My pics only show half the quantities of what we actually had. It was good fun and tasted great!

     After lunch Michael had a relax in a hammock, and I zenned out in their super fancy massage chair. This thing was sublime. I'm going to google it and see how much it costs because it does your feet, full back, neck and head, and squeezes your arms and legs. Soooooo good!

    We then went for another cycle around the town, greeting many citizens and watching them go about day to day life. We stopped by a war vets house who was a gardening specialist. He had over 100 varieties of orchards, and some of the plants were extremely rare and expensive. We sat and had tea with him as he explained some history and info on his various plants and how he makes a living.

    Overall, it was a lovely day of quiet and simple things.    Read more

  • Shalee GherbazVietnam!!!!!Traveler
    1

    Shoutout to David at Hanoi Eco Tours

    March 9, 2024 in Vietnam ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C

    Just a quick post to compliment what a great time we had with David from Hanoi Eco Tours over the past 3 days!!!! We had amazing food, our car and driver was safe, relaxing and high quality, and David had a wealth of knowledge to share on a wide range of cultural topics about the people and practices in Vietnam.

    I have collated some photos from the 3 days that David sent me that he captured on his phone to commemorate the trip. His site and all available tours are at https://hanoiecotour.com and I would 100% recommend these tours!!!    Read more

  • Shalee GherbazVietnam!!!!!Traveler

    Pizza Lovers is... OK

    March 9, 2024 in Vietnam ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C

    Decided that we need to try margarita pizza in each city to compare. The first place we were due to go to was completely booked out, so we ventured up to another place that was busy.

    It was OK. Nothing to write home about. Unfortunately Michaels Carbonara was basically scrambled eggs. The bacon and the pasta consistency itself was a win.

    So far, the first pizza we had is holding complete domination. It's going to be very hard to beat.    Read more

  • Shalee GherbazVietnam!!!!!Traveler

    Chez Mimosa Petite (Part 1)

    March 10, 2024 in Vietnam ⋅ ☁️ 36 °C

    We have arrived back in Ho Chi Minh City with little delay to our domestic flight. Our hotel has put us in a room next door in their new facilities for one night, then we are being moved to their original facilities tomorrow. I'm getting a discount as a result so no complaints from me.

    The room we are in now is brand new, and the bed is so comfortable haha I'll be hoping the bed in the next room is this good LOL!    Read more

  • Shalee GherbazVietnam!!!!!Traveler

    Nom noms everywhere!

    March 10, 2024 in Vietnam ⋅ ☁️ 36 °C

    We had a super late lunch today given we only got into our hotel at 2pm ish and needed to settle in. Our area is pretty interesting in that there seems to be heaps of good food places around that have reasonable pricing. We won't have any issues getting cheap Bahn mi for breakfast, that's for sure.

    We had lunch at one place, and dessert at another. Lunch was kastudon (Korean chicken and rice bowls) from a place called Primal Grill 150m down the road. Very satiating. Dessert was a salted egg croissant (absolutely yummo, 5 slaps, tastes like Portugese Egg tarts but in croissant form) and some mini pork floss baguettes from a cafe 2 doors down from the hotel called Tonkin Garden Coffee. Drinks from the cafe were also delish.

    We will take it chill for the rest of the day as we have our last big day tour tomorrow and it's an early start!    Read more

  • Shalee GherbazVietnam!!!!!Traveler

    Dinner at Den Long Home Cooking

    March 10, 2024 in Vietnam ⋅ ☁️ 28 °C

    We've ventured out for dinner and drinks tonight. Our first stop is dinner at Den Long Home Cooking. The atmosphere is lovely in here, and lots of customers coming through. Relatively reasonably priced as well for a mid tier restaurant on the main strip of district 1.

    We had Bun Cha (rice noodles with spring rolls, grilled pork, sausage and fish sauce), Cha Cha La Vong (tumeric fish with noodles, shrimp paste, dill and peanuts) and Thit Nac Heon Kho Tieu (caramelised pork in clay pot). All was delicious, fresh and satiating. Our drinks were also lovely, Michael had a passionfruit mojito and I had a sunrise mocktail.    Read more

  • Shalee GherbazVietnam!!!!!Traveler

    Les Rives Tour: Can Gio Mangrove Reserve

    March 11, 2024 in Vietnam ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

    Today we are on a day tour with Les Rives to the Can Gio Mangrove Ecological Reserve. We are commuting the entire thing by speedboat and passing through the Mekong Delta. Should be a good day ahead to see the reserve and hopefully some wild animals living there!Read more

  • Shalee GherbazVietnam!!!!!Traveler

    Les Rives Tour: Mekong Delta Wet Market

    March 11, 2024 in Vietnam ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C

    We briefly stopped our boat tour to explore a wet market on the Mekong Delta. Poor Michael is so over the wet markets hahahaha (once you've seen one you've kind of seen them all). One lady did approach him and grab his biceps in awe so that lifted his spirits for a hit LOL. This one was mainly focused on seafood and fruit/veg with a bit of butcher meat, clothes and other various goods.Read more

  • Shalee GherbazVietnam!!!!!Traveler

    Mekong Delta vs Can Gio River

    March 11, 2024 in Vietnam ⋅ ☀️ 32 °C

    Just a quick note to show some shots of the actual Mekong Delta. It is beautiful but unfortunately absolutely loaded with rubbish in the water and ashore. I managed to get some rare pics where no rubbish is around, and took one to show the kind of reality of the rubbish.

    Our guide explained that there are boats out every day cleaning it up and removing rubbish, but they can't get through it all. Very sad, because it really is gorgeous otherwise.

    The Can Gio river area in contrast has very little rubbish. You can tell where the shift happens as you see a shift in the greenery from the tropical ferns into mangroves. It's a pretty cool transition, and it's nice to see an area not as affected by pollution.    Read more

  • 2025© FindPenguins
  • Home
  • About us
  • Group Tracking
  • Press
  • Terms
  • Privacy Policy & Cookies
  • Help Center
  • Legal notice